Igbo leader petitions Tinubu, alleges systemic marginalization of Southeast

Chief Ben Ogbonna, an Igbo leader and public affairs commentator, has petitioned the Federal Government, the National Assembly, and Southeast political leadership over what he described as “systemic marginalization of Ndigbo” in Nigeria’s national affairs.

In a statement dated August 19, 2025, Ogbonna raised concerns about political exclusion, underrepresentation in key federal appointments, and what he called a deliberate pattern of neglect in infrastructure and economic development across the Southeast.

Citing the recent appointments of eight officials to oversee the next national census, Ogbonna noted that none of the appointees was from the Southeast, despite the region’s demographic and economic significance. “This cannot be dismissed as oversight. Census data determines representation, allocation, and opportunity. To exclude a major ethnic group is to deny them visibility, participation, and justice,” he said.

He also criticized the handling of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board’s (JAMB) recent “technical glitch” that distorted the results of nearly 380,000 candidates, a majority from the Southeast. According to him, the incident risked undermining the future of the region’s brightest students.

On infrastructure, Ogbonna pointed to the absence of a federally funded seaport and international airport in the region, exclusion from modern rail projects, and poor power supply in industrial hubs like Aba, Nnewi, and Enugu. He argued that such neglect hampers economic growth and widens inequality.

The petition further lamented the Southeast’s low representation in the military high command, security agencies, judiciary, and federal parastatals. “The continued marginalization of Ndigbo is not only unjust—it is unwise. The consequences of exclusion are never immediate, but they are always inevitable,” Ogbonna warned.

He challenged Southeast governors, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, and the political class to show greater courage in defending regional interests. “History will not remember your connections to Abuja; it will remember whether or not you stood up when your people were pushed aside,” he wrote.

The petition also urged Igbo journalists and media practitioners to amplify issues affecting the region. Ogbonna warned that if current trends persist, future generations of Igbo youths may lose faith in Nigeria’s promise of fairness and inclusion.

“This is not about tribe. This is about truth,” he concluded. “We are asking for fairness—for equal access to opportunity, for rightful participation, and for a country where no group is punished for being excellent.”

Read petition below:

A PETITION TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND IGBO LEADERSHIP ON THE SYSTEMIC MARGINALIZATION OF NDIGBO IN NATIONAL AFFAIRS.

To:

The President and Commander-in-Chief, Federal Republic of Nigeria

The National Assembly (Senate and House of Representatives)

The Leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo

The Governors of the Southeast

The Igbo Political Class

Media Practitioners, Journalists, and Bloggers of Southeastern Nigeria

There comes a time when silence becomes a betrayal—when the price of keeping quiet outweighs the comfort it offers. I write this petition not out of anger, but out of conscience. Not to divide, but to awaken. Not as a partisan, but as an Igbo son deeply concerned about the growing pattern of exclusion, erasure, and marginalization of my people in the affairs of our country.

Let it be known that this is not a voice of hate. It is a voice from the wilderness—burdened by truth, guided by justice, and driven by hope for a better future for all Nigerians, including Ndigbo.

Census Appointments: A Calculated Silence

Recently, the Federal Government unveiled eight strategic appointees to drive the next national census—a process that will determine how federal resources, infrastructure, representation, and opportunities are shared. These appointees are:

1. Senator Atiku Bagudu – North West

2. Nasir Isa Kwarra – North Central

3. Mohammed Idris – North West

4. Wale Edun – South West

5. Zacch Adedeji – South West

6. Bisoye Odusote – South West

7. Folorunsho Okunola – South West

8. Olayemi Oyinade – South West

Of the eight, five are from the Southwest, three are from the North. Not a single Igbo name made the list. This cannot be dismissed as oversight. It is a deliberate decision with far-reaching consequences. Census data will determine legislative representation, federal allocation, electoral boundaries, school funding, health distribution, and more. To exclude a major ethnic group from this process is to deny them visibility, participation, and justice.

The JAMB “Glitch” and the Assault on Igbo Brilliance

Another troubling development is the recent JAMB admission that over 379,000 candidates’ results were distorted by a “technical glitch.” The majority of those affected were from:

Ebonyi

Enugu

Anambra

Imo

Abia

Lagos

The Southeast, widely recognized for academic excellence, suddenly became the epicenter of errors. If not for the outcry of vigilant parents and concerned observers, many of our brightest children would have been victims of quiet academic sabotage. We cannot pretend this was merely an accident. The stakes are too high. What future are we offering our children if even brilliance is punished?

Infrastructural Discrimination and Developmental Denial

The Southeast continues to suffer from visible neglect in national infrastructural development:

No federally operated seaport in the region, despite our immense contribution to trade and commerce

No federal international airport fully funded and maintained in the Southeast

Exclusion from modern rail development

Deliberate suppression of industrial growth in cities like Aba, Nnewi, and Enugu due to inconsistent power infrastructure and road neglect

This systemic withholding of infrastructure cripples our region economically and strategically. How can a country grow when it intentionally starves one of its most industrious regions?

Underrepresentation in Security and Governance Architecture

It is impossible to speak of equity when an entire region is absent from the nation’s most powerful decision-making tables. The Igbo people remain significantly underrepresented in:

The military high command

The heads of national security agencies (DSS, Police, Immigration, NSCDC)

The judiciary’s top echelons

Electoral and population commissions (INEC, NPC)

Federal civil service and strategic parastatals

This recurring pattern sends a dangerous message—that despite our loyalty, sacrifice, and capacity, we are not trusted with the leadership of our own country.

A Word to the Federal Government and National Assembly

Nigeria’s unity cannot be sustained through slogans or intimidation. It must be built on inclusion, justice, and fairness. The continued marginalization of Ndigbo is not only unjust—it is unwise. The consequences of exclusion are never immediate, but they are always inevitable. When a people are made to feel invisible, over time, they begin to question their place in the structure.

I urge you to correct this course—not for political appeasement, but for national survival.

A Challenge to the Igbo Political Class and Regional Leadership

This is also a time for honest introspection among our own. To the political class in Igbo land, to Ohanaeze Ndigbo, and to Southeast governors—where is your courage?

When decisions are made that erase your people, why are your voices missing? When your children are unfairly treated, why do you stay silent? This is not the time for political alignment without integrity. This is not the hour for calculated silence. History will not remember your connections to Abuja; it will remember whether or not you stood up when your people were pushed aside.

If you cannot speak now, then step aside for those who will.

To Igbo Media, Journalists, and Bloggers

You are the voice of our generation. The nation hears you. The world watches you. Use your platforms to spotlight truth, not trend. Speak for the voiceless. Stop drowning our people in distractions while ignoring the quiet war being waged against their future. Document our exclusions. Report with courage. Call out systemic silencing. That is your responsibility.

The Danger Ahead

If this pattern continues, we risk raising a generation of Igbo children who will stop believing in the Nigerian dream. Children who will lose faith in fairness. Students who will abandon hope because their merit was met with manipulation. That is a future none of us should allow.

No one benefits when a section of the nation is forced into silence or submission. A nation that denies opportunity to one of its strongest components only weakens itself.

This Is Not Hate—It Is a Patriotic Alarm

This is not about tribe. This is about truth. We are not asking for pity. We are not asking for preference. We are asking for fairness—for equal access to opportunity, for rightful participation, and for a country where no group is punished for being excellent.

Ndigbo are not enemies of the state. We are builders, defenders, and contributors. But even builders must demand a place at the table of the house they helped construct.

Let this message ring across the corridors of Aso Rock. Let it echo through the chambers of the National Assembly. Let it stir the conscience of every Southeast governor and Igbo leader still worthy of that title.

We cannot afford to be quiet. We must not wait until our children ask us why we allowed it all to happen in silence.

This is a voice from the wilderness. May it be heard before it becomes too late.

By Chief Ben Ogbonna (Chinyere-Ugo)

19th August, 2025.